BHRC Meeting Minutes, Oct. 2016: 4

Berea Human Rights Commission
Regular Meeting
October 3, 2016
6:30 PM
Conference Room, Broadway Center
204 N. Broadway Berea, KY 40403

Present: Rev. Carla Gilbert (Chair), Gene Stinchcomb (Treasurer), Dr. Janice Blythe, Eef Fontanez, Miriam (Mim) Pride

Michael Harrington (Administrative Assistant), Steve Connelly (Mayor), 2 guest visitors

Summary of Actions Taken:

· Chair calls meeting to Order: 6:30 PM.

· Pride adds Community Announcements to the agenda.

· Fontanez MOVES to approve September Meeting Minutes as amended: MOTION CARRIED.

· Stinchcomb MOVES to approve $5 expense to Good Impressions, Inc. for an engraving to be added to the John G. Fee Award plaque: MOTION CARRIED.

· Stinchcomb submits TREASURER’S REPORT.

· Pride MOVES to reallocate $300 from the “Unappropriated” line item of the BHRC’s budget to the “Advertising” line item: MOTION CARRIED.

· Mayor discusses developing grant funding departmental and City procedures with Commissioners.

· Mayor notes that there is a vacancy on the Commission given Shroyer’s resignation and asks for appointment recommendations from BHRC.

· Harrington introduces Mr. Cienfuegos to Commission; he is presently working on the BHRC’s database project in conjunction with Dr. Nakazawa’s class.

· Mr. Cienfuegos briefs Commission about the database project.

· Fontanez DESIGNATED to draft a letter of thanks and recommendation to the students for their work in this project upon its completion. A letter is also to be sent to Dr. Nakazawa, Chad Berry, and Nancy Gift.

· Chair notes that the possible draft of a letter to the Richmond Register need not be sent at this time.

· Chair CALLS special Bylaws work session to be held on Monday October 24, 2016 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM in the Conference Room of the Broadway Center located at 204 N. Broadway Berea, KY 40403.

· Chair COMMITS to providing food during the work session as the Commissioners will be working through dinner.

· Harrington DESIGNATED to publish public meeting notices and to place an order for the refreshments on the day of the meeting.

· Pride MOVES to reiterate that all of the BHRC’s regularly scheduled monthly meetings are to be held at the Broadway Center located at 204 N. Broadway Berea, KY 40403 and that all required public meeting notices be published as per usual.

· Chair brief Commission about the BHRC’s November 10, 2016 Employment Discrimination Workshop cosponsored with the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights (KCHR).

· Harrington DESIGNATED to coordinate with Mr. Juan Peña of the KCHR on advertising and informing local community leadership about the event.

· Blair DESIGNATED to brief Commission about coordinating with the Berea branch of the Madison County Public Library about potentially using library recording equipment during the BHRC’s regularly scheduled meetings.

· Pride and Blair DESIGNATED to present a potential BHRC statement on transparency during the November meeting.

· Commission COMMITS to inviting Jeff Rubin of Age-Friendly Berea to brief Commissioners about the organizations recent efforts during either the December or January 2017 regularly scheduled BHRC meeting.

· Commission COMMITS to inviting Carla Baumann to attend either the December or January 2017 regularly scheduled BHRC meeting to discuss her special expertise with the Commission.

· Dr. Blythe DESIGNATED to extend invitations to Rubin and Baumann on behalf of the BHRC.

· Commission COMMITS to performing a departmental review of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar state and local legislation to further and continue Commissioners’ education on issues of disability.

· Stinchcomb MOVES to subscribe to the Berea Citizen and the Richmond Register for the BHRC: MOTION CARRIED.

· Harrington DESIGNATED to compile and collect articles and letters referencing the Berea Human Rights Commission in these local newspapers to be kept on file at the BHRC’s offices.

· Dr. Blythe DESIGNATED to prepare report for Commission on a potential future panel discussion highlighting issues impacting those living with disabilities in the community.

· Pride NOTES that Commission workshops focusing on specific types of discrimination (such as housing discrimination or employment discrimination) detail specific information about the ways that such discrimination impacts each protected class (such as: race, religion, disability, national origin, among others) designated in relevant federal and state laws.

· Harrington briefs Commissioners about past event proposals, including a potential education film festival as well as after school programming, to be reconsidered during the next calendar year.

· Chair, Rev. Carla Gilbert, RESIGNS her office and leadership position with the BHRC due to increasing professional responsibilities. Rev. Gilbert will remain a member of the BHRC, although she will not remain as an officer.

· Commissioners express sincere gratitude to Rev. Gilbert for her service and leadership.

· Dr. Blythe MOVES to establish the office of Interim Chair and nominates Mim Pride to the position. The office of Interim Chair will assume the responsibilities of the Chair until the officer elections of the first BHRC regularly scheduled meeting of the upcoming calendar year: MOTION CARRIED.

· Commission COMMITS to providing robust support to the new Interim Chair as she transitions to her leadership position.

· Commission COMMIT to emailing Mayor Connelly list of names of those who are qualified and may be interested in filling the BHRC’s present vacancy.

· Commissioners REVIEW Mr. Hasan Davis’ recent grant funding request for a staging of the play “A.A. Burleigh: The Long Climb to Freedom” to benefit Project Graduation.

· Fontanez RECUSES himself from the discussion due to his employment with Berea Independent Schools and his professional relationship with Project Graduation.

· Commission COMMITS to reaching out to Mr. Davis to inquire if he is interested in submitting a written request for grant funding that details how the play and event relates to the BHRC’s specific charge outlined and detailed in the BHRC’s current bylaws and establishing ordinance found in the Berea Code of Ordinances (Sect. 22.700-22.708).

· Guest briefs Commission about recent efforts of Berea’s Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP).

· Dr. Blythe inquires if guest would be available to send a brief email to the Commission about AVP and how its aims relate to the BHRC’s charge as the two organizations have partnered in the past, in order to aid her efforts in preparing a timeline for the BHRC’s annual report.

· BHRC COMMITS to condensing its future meeting minutes and making those available to Commissioners soon after meetings are held.

· The next regularly scheduled meeting of the BHRC will be held on November 7, 2016 at 6:30 PM at the Broadway Center located at 204 N. Broadway Berea, KY 40403.

· Pride MOVES to adjourn: MOTION CARRIED, 9:10 PM.

Michael Harrington
Administrative Assistant

Minutes Recorded: October 3, 2016
Minutes Approved: November 7, 2016

______
[Chair, Rev. Carla Gilbert]